PHOENIX — This much is known: Peyton Manning joined forces with New England’s Tom Brady on changing footballs nearly a decade ago. Manning wasn’t interested in the air pressure, he said Friday, but the texture of the footballs in visiting stadiums. Until Brady and Manning wrote to the NFL’s competition committee, the home team supplied the game-day footballs. This led to problems, and a funny story from Manning.

“I don’t know anything about air pressure in a ball ever since the K2 back in the day as a kid. I am not versed in it. Tom and I were part of that rule (change) a couple of years ago to be able to simply have your own ball boys be able to prepare your own footballs,” Manning said.

“I remember the first ever game I played in. It was against Seattle in the preseason. And Warren Moon liked the balls right out of the box, I mean right out of the plastic. And I had three balls slip out of my hand and go backwards. And I remember (Colts coach) Jim Mora yelling at me, ‘What in the world is going on?’ I said, ‘I can’t grip the ball.’ So you had to adjust everytime you were the visiting team to the footballs you were going to be playing with. And you had to grip them differently. But that was all texture. That rule was all simply about being able to break them in, if you will.”

Peyton Manning was tops on the NFL Players Sales List for the third quarter of 2014. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

You could argue that Peyton Manning’s play slipped in the latter half of last season. You could argue that, at 38, his so-called window has closed. But what you can’t dispute is that Manning, just being Manning, is a money-maker. The numbers speak for themselves.

The Broncos’ quarterback reclaimed the No. 1 spot from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on the NFL Players Inc. Top 50 Player Sales List for the third fiscal quarter of 2014, a list based on total sales of all officially licensed products from Sept. 1-Nov. 30, 2014. Wilson, Colin Kaepernick, Dez Bryant and Tom Brady rounded out the top five, while Demaryius Thomas, the only other Bronco on the list, came in at No. 45.

Manning outsold all players in Fatheads, bobbleheads and Nike game jerseys, and based on this ranking, we’re guessing John Elway isn’t the only one who wants Manning to return in 2015.

In Philip Rivers’ 10-plus seasons in the NFL, he has thrown a total of 238 touchdowns to sit at No. 21 on the all-time list. After 10 seasons, Peyton Manning had thrown 306.

Through Sunday, Rivers is fourth in the league this season with 17 through the Chargers’ first six games. Manning is No. 1, with 19 through five games.

In 2008, Rivers tied Drew Brees with a league-best 34 touchdowns, but he has never cracked 40 a season. Manning has topped 40 twice, including a record 55 last year.

On Sunday, Rivers was among the millions who watched Manning throw touchdown Nos. 509 and 510 against the 49ers to eclipse Brett Favre on the all-time list. And like those millions of others watching, Rivers, too, was in awe.

“That’s a lot of touchdowns,” Rivers said Thursday. “It’s awesome. It’s an awesome accomplishment. I think the first thing you think of is how many that is, but then what do you have to do to get that many. Obviously you have to play at an unbelievable level and average however many a year for so many years.

“He had such a streak going of not missing many starts. I know he missed a whole season, but there was a stretch from his first game his rookie year where he made every start. So, consistently he was out there playing for his team, and then obviously playing very, very well.

“It’s an unbelievable feat, and it was kinda cool to watch.”

Saints quarterback Drew Brees currently has the second most touchdown passes of any active player (374) to sit at No. 4 on the all-time list, while the Patriots’ Tom Brady is a close No. 5, with 372.

When asked if he ever thinks about hitting the 500 mark, of if he envisions another quarterback from this era coming close, Rivers remained realistic.Read more…

Earlier this summer, former Broncos quarterback and Heisman winner Tim Tebow told The Tennessean that he was working toward an NFL comeback.

“I’m training every day and feel like I’m the best that I’ve ever been,” Tebow told the paper in June. “I still love it, love playing, talking about it, and I’m just excited about whatever the future holds. Who knows what could happen? But I’m excited about it, though.”

Turns out, he wasn’t joking. Not even a little.

Tebow has been been making regular trips to Scottsdale, Ariz., this summer to work out with trainer Ian Danney at Performance Enhancement Professionals, getting in reps in the gym and playing “Danneyball,” a version of beach volleyball created by Danney that uses a medicine ball. To work on his throwing, Tebow said he has also been making trips to Los Angeles to work with Tom House, a former MLB pitcher who has helped other NFL quarterbacks, including Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Carson Palmer.

“I feel great,” Tebow told Fox 10 Phoenix, which obtained exclusive footage of his workouts in Arizona. “I feel the strongest, healthiest, throwing the best I ever have. I’m just really excited about the improvement.”

Peyton Manning’s No. 18 jersey was the fourth-most popular on NFLShop.com. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

The NFL on Monday released the top 25 player jerseys from April 1 through July 17, 2014, and a guy who has yet to play in a pro game beat out the veterans for the top spot.

Johnny Manziel, the 22nd overall pick by the Browns, has the most sold jerseys on NFLShop.com in the last 3 1/2 months, while Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning round out the top four.

Manning is the only Bronco on the list, but joins a group with 12 other quarterbacks.

Harris Interactive on Wednesday released the latest results of its survey of Americans’ favorite sports stars. And Peyton Manning, the Broncos’ 38-year-old star quarterback who is coming off a record-setting season, ranked No. 4 for the second consecutive year.

LeBron James, meanwhile, topped NBA legend Michael Jordan for the No. 1 spot, but it’s worth noting that the poll, which surveyed 2,241 adults online, was conducted between June 11 and June 16 of this year, well before James’s announcement that he would leave the Miami Heat and rejoin the Cavaliers.

Also worth noting: Two athletes fell out of the top 10 this year. Golfer Phil Mickelson, who was No. 9, and Tim Tebow, the former Broncos quarterback, who was No. 8 in 2013.

Ranked above Manning this year was Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, at No. 3, who is making his farewell tour before retiring.

Manning was voted as the second-most favored athlete in 2011, his highest ranking in the survey. He was No. 5 in 2010, No. 7 in 2009 and No. 8 in both 2007 and 2008. Read more…

The Broncos’ Sylvester Williams (92), Robert Ayers (91) and Terrance Knighton (94) take down San Diego’s Danny Woodhead. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

JERSEY CITY — N.J. — In the Broncos’ playoff loss last year against the Baltimore Ravens, their starting defensive line was, right to left, Elvis Dumervil, Justin Bannan, Kevin Vickerson and Derek Wolfe.

For their two playoff wins this year and Super Bowl on Sunday against Seattle, the Broncos’ D-line will start Malik Jackson, Terrance Knighton, Sylvester Williams and Shaun Phillips.

Leading these men upfront is Jay Rodgers, who played quarterback at the same Westlake High School in Austin, Texas as Drew Brees and Nick Foles and started his sophomore season at Indiana University.

“I remember playing and those guys used to chase me,” Jay Rodgers said. “Now my guys are chasing quarterbacks. I have a good understanding of how offenses work, how protections work, how run game work, how to attack defenses. And I can apply what I’ve learned on the offensive side to what my guys face on defense. I had a great mentor in Wayne Nunnely. He really took me underneath his wings. When Jack (Del Rio) came in there were certain standards he was used to and I was apply that standard to the guys.”

Again a great Final Four quarterback matchup. There is the classic, pocket-passing matchup of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady – unquestionably the two best quarterbacks of the past 15 years.
And there is the read-option, new wave of dual-threat quarterbacks in Russell Wilson vs. Colin Kaepernick.
Either way the Super Bowl will pit old vs. new, pocket passer vs. athlete. The quarterback standings entering conference championship weekend:

Quarterback ……………….. (Last week’s ranking)
1. Peyton Manning, Broncos (1)Improved playoff record with Broncos to 1-1 after completing 25 of 36 for 230 yards, 2 TDs and one third-and-17 in playoff win against San Diego. Has 4-10 record in head-to-head meetings against Tom Brady entering AFC championship.

2. Tom Brady, Patriots (2)Improved to 18-7 lifetime in playoffs by handing off to LaGarrette Blount and mixing in impact passes (198 yards on 13 completions is impressive).

3. Colin Kaepernick, 49ers (4)Actually was more effective firing from pocket than scrambling to earn another road playoff win. Complete 15 of 28 for 196 yards and 1 TD with no interceptions to beat Carolina.

5. Philip Rivers, Chargers (8)Only 7 of 12 for 44 yards while taking three sacks in falling behind 17-0 through three quarters against Broncos. Went 11 of 15 for 173 yards and 17 points in fourth quarter to nearly pull off comeback.

Good Friday evening, Denver Broncos fans. If you’re new here, welcome to our daily Broncos Insider newsletter, which we’ll publish daily as long as the Broncos remain in the playoffs (and then step back to once-per-week). Here’s the latest and greatest from Broncoland.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: 2 days

That Broncos defensehas been forced to overcome attrition this regular season and the playoffs, writes Joan Niesen. “… the Denver defense has been plugged with replacements, caulked with other teams’ castoffs. There’s a defensive end who doubles as a rapper and was cut by the flailing Jaguars in November. There’s the NFL’s lone remaining XFL player. There’s undrafted players and rookies, and there’s [Brandon] Marshall.

Peyton Manning had the quickest release on passes among all quarterbacks in 2013. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Bear with me on this one. For some reason, I find this interesting, and I hope you will, too.

When I was digging through some numbers earlier this week on Pro Football Focus, I noticed that all of the quarterback release times from last weekend’s games seemed, well, slow. Like, really slow.

I decided to take a closer look, and sure enough, only two quarterbacks got rid of the ball faster than their regular-season average marks during the Wild Card round of the playoffs: Philadelphia’s Nick Foles and Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck.

It’s a waste of time ranking the Jay Cutlers and Kyle Ortons of the quarterback world. And apologies to Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer, who had very good years only to barely miss out on the playoffs.
But just as in the NFL, only the playoff-bound passers made the Tuesday Morning Quarterback cut this week. If Andy Dalton is ranked No. 12 of 12, you know this is a deep quarterback field.
The QB rankings entering the playoffs:

The Broncos offense set plenty of records in 2013, but three stand out most prominently: most touchdown passes thrown, most passing yards thrown and most points scored. Here’s a look at where the Broncos stand compared to the next-best player or team in each of those categories.

I write up how easy it is to compile passing stats in the NFL this year and what happens this week? All but two quarterbacks – Peyton Manning and Andy Dalton — throw for less than 300 yards. Fourteen quarterbacks threw for less than 200. And Ryan Tannehill didn’t even reach 100.
It was also another week when Peyton Manning widened the gap between the best and all others.
The biggest final week showdowns pit Jay Cutler against Matt Flynn in Chicago and Nick Foles against most likely Kyle Orton as there are reports Tony Romo has a herniated disc and is done for the season — in Dallas.

1. Peyton Manning, Broncos (1)
Peyton said 51 touchdowns will get broken. But if he throws, say, three more at Oakland, will 54 stand for a while? Also averaging 347.4 yards per game and needs 266 more to break Drew Brees’ record of 5,476.

2. Nick Foles, Eagles (6)It’s easy to play quarterback when your two tailbacks, LeSean McCoy and Bryce Brown, combine for 248 yards and 3 TDs on 27 carries. Still, can’t play much better than 21 of 25 for 230 yards, 2 TDs and 0 picks in 54-11 trouncing of Bears. Next up: Win-or-go-home game at Dallas for division title.

3. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (4)It’s a shame his team is wasting one of his best years. Threw for two touchdowns, ran for another and led game-winning drive in final minutes to win in the Green Bay snow.

4. Tom Brady, Patriots (2)Had a Bob Griese-like day, completing 14 of 26 for only 172 yards, 1 TD and no mistakes in 41-7 home romp against Baltimore.

5. Andy Dalton, Bengals (22)If he was your quarterback in Fantasy League championship, congratulations. Had his best statistical day as a pro, throwing for 366 yards, 4 TDs, 0 interceptions in romp against Minnesota.

Peyton Manning is congratulated on the Broncos sideline after setting the NFL single-season TD record. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

You’re going to read a lot in tomorrow’s Denver Post about Peyton Manning’s single-season touchdown record, but here’s a quick look at the other players on the top-10 list. Notice, all but Dan Marino and Kurt Warner put up their numbers after 2000.

I had two immediate thoughts upon learning Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had been named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.

One, I was surprised he hadn’t previously been so honored. He’s won just about everything else in his terrific career — including a Super Bowl MVP, by the way — with the notable exception of the Heisman Trophy. And besides his brilliance as an NFL quarterback, Manning has such mass appeal. No athlete is better in commercials or as a host on “Saturday Night Live.”

But my second thought was, why this year when Manning has yet to win a championship? Not that S.I. always give its franchise award to champions, but it usually does. LeBron James won it last year. Drew Brees (2010), Tom Brady (2005), Joe Montana (1990) and Terry Bradshaw (1979) were coming off Super Bowl championships in the years they were honored.

This honor may trump a fifth NFL MVP award. Sports Illustrated announced Sunday that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is its Sportsman of the Year for 2013.

Manning, 37, is the first Bronco and first Denver athlete to receive the prestigious award. He is in the midst of an unprecedented comeback from four neck surgeries that forced him to miss the entire 2011 season with the Indianapolis Colts, an injury that led to his release, free agency, and new chapter in his career with the Denver Broncos.

Broncos media services manager Rebecca Villanueva displays a jersey with quarterback Peyton Manning’s name and number in March 2012.

Sometimes, it’s tough for us people in the trees to see how no one in the mighty NFL forest is more popular than Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.

The NFL just released its top 25-selling jerseys in the period from April 1-Nov. 30, and Manning was No. 1. Frankly I’m a tad surprised because his jersey has been in circulation for two years. But as the RGIII star drastically dimmed and with little sex appeal in this year’s rookie class (Geno Smith, anyone?), the trusted Manning remains on top.

Maybe that explains why the Broncos are playing their freakin’ sixth prime-time night game Thursday against the San Diego Chargers.

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.